Vicious (17 page)

Equally unsettling was the realization that, until today, she’d had no idea she was born in her aunt’s house, with said aunt participating in the delivery. The few pictures she had from her childhood were all taken here. Yet Wanda had photos that were taken at her old house—the one where the first two murder victims had been found.

A big black Mercedes braked to a stop amid the chaos in the street. Jess’s heart lightened as Dan emerged from his SUV. She blinked at the sudden rush of tears and cursed herself.
Damned hormones
. As he walked toward her, she stood, fighting the urge to rush into his arms.

“Hey.” He reached out and squeezed her hand and her entire being reacted.

“What happened at the cemetery?” She cleared her throat and dusted off her backside. She probably had dirt and grime all over the skirt of her new suit. Lil would scold her if she found out. “You were MIA for a while.”

“Vandalism.” He glanced toward the activity beyond the door.

“Vandalism?” The chief of police was called out for vandalism?

“It’s a historic cemetery, Jess.” He took her by the elbow and ushered her across the porch.

Vandalism kept him from calling? “Spears visited Wanda.”

Her announcement gave him pause. “When did this happen?”

“Two weeks ago. Didn’t you get your messages?”

“My secretary called but I…” He heaved a big breath. “I should’ve called her back.”

“Or me,” Jess admonished.

He held up his hands surrender style. “I won’t let it happen again.”

“How did you know to come here?” If he hadn’t called his secretary back, how was he here now? This made no sense. Mainly she just wanted something else besides Spears, this place and the murders to be riled up about.

“Hayes called me.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You took his call but not mine?”

“I was just about to call you back when he called.”

What did it matter? “I’m glad you’re here.” She had no right to interrogate him just because he hadn’t responded to her messages. God knew, she did it to him all the time. They weren’t anywhere close to even on that score no matter how she tried to spin it.

“You want to go back inside?”

She nodded. “You should have a look.”

They entered her childhood home together. Having Dan at her side made being here less disconcerting. Her detectives had been successful in uncovering several windows. The light filtering through their damaged and grimy panes didn’t make the rundown conditions inside look any better. A crime scene tech was still setting up the lights that would make the search for evidence considerably easier.

The message left for Jess had been spray-painted in black across the once yellow wall. Rather than linger on the words, she moved through the house. The kitchen was in worse shape than the living and dining rooms. The backdoor hung onto its hinges by a prayer. The intruder had done a number on it.

Down the hall were the two bedrooms and the single bathroom. The room she and Lil shared was the first one. If she’d expected to find anything there besides more dust, cobwebs and disrepair, she was disappointed. The walls had once been pink. Now they were an unhappy green. A round rug with circles of bold colors had covered most of the hardwood when they were kids. She and Lil had had twin beds and two dressers because neither had wanted to share drawers or mirrors.

Why hadn’t Lil told her the place had fallen into ruins? Surely she’d driven by at some point in the last twenty or so years. Not that it mattered, but it just seemed strange to see their childhood home like this and not to have known.

Dan came up behind her. “Let me take you home, Jess. There’s nothing else you can do here.”

He was right. She and three of her team were here, wasting time. Their resources were needed elsewhere.

Distraction was his goal
.

She’d let Spears get to her with his antics and diversions.

Not anymore.

14

Parkridge Drive, Homewood, 11:30 p.m.

Naked and still damp from their shower, Lori collapsed onto the bed. She felt more relaxed than she had in weeks despite three totally freaky murders. It had taken years but she’d had to learn to turn off work when she was home. Protecting her mental health after the abduction by Eric Spears’s apprentice had become particularly important to her sanity.

Chet swaggered toward the bed naked as the day he was born, and she grinned. He had helped her through some difficult times.

Mostly he had stolen her heart.

“That was fantastic.” Chet dropped next to her.

She snuggled closer to him. “Yes it was.”

The silence was comfortable. She could lie here all night listening to nothing more than the sound of him breathing and the feel of his heart beating as her body melded with his.

“The chief is really off her game this week,” he said.

As much as she would prefer not to agree with him, it was true. “She has reason to be.”

“That she does.”

Lori raised up, settled her chin on his chest. “I wish we could do more. Why the hell can’t the FBI find this piece of shit? He can’t be that good.”

Chet sent her a look. “I think you know better than that. Spears is not your run of the mill serial killer. He’s some kind of genius. Not to mention he’s rich. The guy probably has money hidden all over the world. It’s hard to find someone who has those kind of resources at his fingertips.”

She couldn’t argue that either. “It just frustrates me. Jess has already suffered so much. It’s not fair that he keeps torturing her this way. Every time somebody dies, you can just see the toll it takes on her. She feels like it’s her fault.”

“I know.” Chet stroked her hair. “Have you noticed that since Hayes joined the team it feels like she’s pushing us away?”

Lori knew where he was headed with that. “I don’t think Clint is going to take your place or mine when it comes to our bond with Jess.”

“I guess it’s an ego thing,” Chet admitted. “Feels like she’s picking him instead of one of us whenever she makes a move.”

Lori caressed his sculpted abs. He had one hell of a six-pack. “I think maybe she’s trying to protect us. If she keeps us at a distance, maybe we won’t be targets or something.”

Chet hissed a curse. “I need to be protecting her. Hayes doesn’t know her like I do. I should talk to her.”

“Give her some time. She’s trying to find her footing in all this insanity. Don’t push.” Lori raked the pad of her thumb over his flat, taut nipple. He shivered. She loved it. “I’ll talk to her when the time’s right.”

“Before you start something I’ll have to finish,” he pulled her on top of him, breasts to chest, and wrapped his arms around her waist, “there’s something else we need to talk about.”

She was the one shivering now. “I might have trouble concentrating in this position.” She ground her hips into his. They both shuddered.

“It’s about Chester.”

Lori stilled. Their weekend to have Chet’s little boy was coming up. They’d had to miss tonight’s visit. “Is Sherry trying to keep him home again?”

Chet’s ex-wife had been behaving a little flaky lately. She was always coming up with excuses why Chester couldn’t have his visits with his father. Lori got it. The woman was worried her three-year-old would like Lori too much. All she could say was that the bitch should have thought about that when she kicked a good man like Chet to the curb.

“I think she’s calmed down now. She didn’t go schitzo when I told her we were on a tough case and wouldn’t be able to pick him up today. She even sounded disappointed he wouldn’t get to spend time with us.”

Lori wasn’t going to sugarcoat her feelings about the woman. “I’m glad but I don’t know if I’ll ever trust her again.”

He kissed her nose. “I understand. She tried to mess with your head and that was wrong.”

“What were you going to say about Chester before I butted in?” She hoped the little boy wasn’t sick.

“After what we found out today, maybe not having Chester around until this is over is a good idea.” Pain clouded his handsome face. “What if that bastard got to him?”

Lori saw the torment in his eyes and couldn’t bear it. “I hadn’t thought about that. You’re right. Spears or one of his pals could show up anywhere. None of us are safe from him. If he’s behind these latest murders, there’s no telling what he might do next.”

“I should talk to Sherry.”

“Good idea. We don’t want Chester anywhere near this nightmare.” If they couldn’t stop this freak of nature, how would their lives ever be normal again?

“Did you hear what happened at Oak Hill today?”

Lori braced her forearms on his chest and searched his face for clues. “I didn’t. Something happen with Burnett?”

“Detective Roark told me Burnett received a text from Spears. Said there was a preview of things to come at the Linn Mausoleum. Burnett rushed over and found a headstone with his name on it.”

“Are you serious?” The image made Lori shudder.

Chet nodded. “I don’t think Chief Harris knew. After what she found out today, he probably didn’t want to tell her until they were alone.”

“Damn.” Lori shook her head. “Spears is getting bolder.”

“For sure.”

A rush of fear chilled her to the bone. “I want you to promise me you’ll be careful. I don’t want to lose you to this.”

Chet hugged his arms tighter around her. “Why would you think you’d lose me? I’m not letting that bastard get to any of us. You can take that to the bank.”

Lori prayed that was a promise he could keep.

He caressed her back, trailed his fingers long ribs. “I got a call today.”

She shivered as he cupped her breast. “From?”

“My doc.”

Her heart beat a little faster. “What did she say?”

“I have an appointment with the surgeon next week. He’ll do the necessary tests and we’ll go from there. We should know soon if the reversal is possible.”

“Sounds to me like a celebration is in order.” She went up on her knees, straddling his waist. “You up for it, Sergeant?”

“Always, Detective.”

With him guiding, she eased down onto his erection. Her eyes closed and she moaned. She had never wanted anyone the way she did this man. No one was taking him away from her.

Not his ex-wife and definitely not Eric Spears.

15

Dunbrooke Drive, 11:50 p.m.

Jess sat crossed legged on the floor in the library or office or whatever Dan called this room. She stared at the make shift case board she’d cobbled together. A strip of tape, the kind used for wrapping Christmas gifts, held each photo and note to the edge of a bookshelf. Made her feel right at home.

Almost
. She still missed her place. Her stuff was there. Here she had Dan, a more than decent trade off considering she loved waking up next to him. The thought made her feel warm and safe, despite the images hanging in front of her.

Get your mind on the case
.

The first victims were murdered in the house where she was born. But why hadn’t she received a video as she had with Logan Thomas. Serial killers rarely deviated from their pattern unless an unanticipated occurrence or reaction forced change. Then again, were these two women really serial killers in the true sense of the word? Or were they merely thrill killers on a rampage, disorganized and manic in their murder methods but highly organized on entrance and exit protocols?

Had Templeton and Burgess been their first kills? Their fingerprints weren’t on file in the usual databases. The blonde looked very young, nineteen or twenty. Was SPU witnessing the birth of pure evil? The evolution of cold-blooded killers?

Jess wrapped her arms around her waist. To protect the people she cared about, including herself, if given the chance she would kill Eric Spears. Right now, without hesitation. It wouldn’t matter if he were unarmed or debilitated. Hatred hardened her heart. She would kill him.

Did that make her a monster, too?

Jess turned away from the images of innocence slaughtered and drew in a shaky breath. Two decades of experience analyzing killers had taught her that all humans possessed the potential for evil. Some never crossed that, at times, blurred line. Others not only crossed it but plunged into an abyss of darkness where right and wrong no longer existed. They thrived on desire, greed, fear and rage.

Crossing the line was always accompanied by motive, some precipitating event or emotion that served as an impetus to the act of evil.

But what about these murders?

If Spears had initiated these heinous acts, had he paid the killers or were these kills some sort of initiation into his twisted club?
The Eric Spears fan club
. Anger burst so fast inside her that her ribs ached. With her whole being she hoped to live to see him die a slow, excruciating death of utter agony.

She hugged herself more tightly. There were lots of reasons she intended to see that Spears lost this game. To that end, she needed this time alone to sort through and analyze the events of the day. Dan had grudgingly taken her by the office so she could get the copies she needed for creating this homework board. Cook had caught her there and briefed her on what he’d discovered which was basically nothing. None of the friends or coworkers of the two female victims knew the male victim and vice versa and not one recognized the blonde suspect.

She’d had high hopes for that discovery.

“I see you found a way to do your homework.”

Jess glanced over her shoulder. “I told you I can’t think without my case board.”

He sat down on the floor beside her and put his arm around her. “You should work at home more often. I like the outfit.”

As tired as she was, as worried as she was, she had to laugh. After a nice, long hot bath she’d shoved her damp hair into a claw clip and grabbed the most comfortable thing she could find to sleep in. “This Crimson Tide t-shirt of yours has seen better days.”

He leaned over, kissed her cheek. Goosebumps rushed over her skin. “I’ve had it forever.”

“I know.” She looked into those blue eyes that still had the power to make her heart beat faster. “I remember it.” She knew exactly how it looked stretched across those broad shoulders and that gorgeous chest that was temptingly bare right now. How nice it would be to lose herself in Dan’s arms and forget all of this but that wasn’t possible.